Transformers
by Hellshadow
Summary: What if the Transformers were real? What if average humans could merge with their sparks, becoming the machines? A young man makes a choice, and with it, his destiny is rewritten. Will he be able to stop Magmatron from conquering Earth or will he fail?
1. Chapter 1

Earth

2010 AD

Life for human beings was the same as it had been for years-busy and boring. Men and women scurried about, living their lives in their little corner of the universe, believing theirs was the only planet with lifeforms, simple and complex. But they were wrong.

Their world was may have been the only one with lifeforms in _their_ system, but millions of galaxies away, there was another, teeming with its own creatures. But these beings were not organic, not little green men from Mars as the humans' media and books believed it to be. No, these beings were massive, powerful, their technology far more advanced than humanity's own. These beings were also not living.

At least, not in the human sense of living. These beings were _technoorganic_. They had been created in ways not unlike the ways humans created their different modes of transportation. But these particular lifeforms also had a special power. They had the power to physically transconfigure their bodily forms into aircraft, land vehicles, spaceships, as humans say, and even remarkable creatures, in some cases. And the other difference was their sheer size. Had humans met them during the days of the cavemen, they would have been considered gods, demons, behemoths, and whatever else you find in myths.

On the planet Cybertron, which was also not a living planet, but instead a sphere composed of nothing but technology, two factions of these mechanical beings, the autobot and the decepticons, fought for supremacy. For countless millennia, what's more. Until their war reached earth.

Arizona

Plains

Two cars furiously raced across the desert, their speeds in excess of 150 miles per hour. One was a gray Toyota Corolla AE85, more commonly known as the Levin. The other was a 1999 red Toyota Supra. The drivers were both male, in their early thirties. Only there were no drivers. And these were no ordinary cars.

The insides of the vehicles were unlike any other. While the internals appeared the same, it was nothing but a disguise for what lay beneath. The Supra suddenly changed direction, heading for a rocky ledge. It then vaulted itself off its edge and inside the car…something happened.

Locks and bolts snapped, turned, and sparked as the car seemed to unravel itself and open. The back end of the car slid out, the front end faced down and slid underneath revealing, of all things, a robotic face. The sides of the car swung out, arms shooting out and reaching behind its back. It pulled out a rifle and landed on the ground with a very loud thud. The machine stood up, its two blue "eyes" following the Levin.

The gray hatchback just kept heading straight for the machine, unperturbed. Then it seemed to sprout wings. Wings of an airplane. The car accelerated and flew over the robot's head. Prowl, second in command of the Scavenger Autobots, as they called themselves, aimed and fired. The bolt hit the underside of the car. The result was rather vocal.

"THAT HURT, AUTOBOT SLIME!!"

The Levin hit the ground, smoke billowing from beneath it. Its doors popped open and the car split in half, revealing a rather blocky head, with two red eyes and no mouth to speak of.

"Then drive safely," Prowl quirked. He had always been a rather uptight bot, but things had changed. "Okay, Runamuck?"

"You should observe your surroundings more closely," Runamuck said cryptically.

Before Prowl could react to the meaning behind the words, a powerful energy blast struck him in the back. Prowl cried out and fell down.

Behind him, a brown tank sat idly, barrel smoking.

"HA! Another autobot down for the count," another mechanized voice, deep and cruel, said.

"Blitzwing. Nice to-ugh-see you again," Prowl groaned. His data receptors streamed off hundreds of bits of info through his neuroprocessors in just a few microseconds. Humans called it pain.

The tank stood upright, and the lower half split in two, while the top half separated into three sections. Blitzwing towered over Jazz, relishing the victory. Runamuck and Blitzwing aimed their rifles at him.

"So long, autobot. Be glad Magmatron isn't the one doing this, or you would've been worse off."

"Magmatr-"

He was cut off as the two decepticons fired simultaneously. Prowl screamed as his body tore apart and exploded

"HA! Like I said. The only good autobot is a scrapped one," Blitzwing said as they lumbered off.

Behind them, the remains of Prowl glowed and then a wave of energy washed over it. After a while, it retracted, and when it disappeared, Prowl's body was gone, and instead, the body of a young fifteen year old lay in its place, a large smoking hole in the center of his chest.


	2. Chapter 2

Los Angeles

Chicago-5 PM local time

The roads were a mess. Pure murder for nearly everyone. You'd think people would use back roads and alleys to shave some time off, but no. Everyone decides to use the main roads, causing snarl-ups left and right. But Matt didn't care. Less cars in the alleys meant more space for him. He pedaled as fast he could, his new ten-speed bike bringing him closer to home. But there was that _other _thing he wanted to try. But he couldn't, not without a good reason.

He was one of the few who knew the truth. He knew the answer to the one question humanity wanted an answer for. He knew if there was life elsewhere in the universe. And he was sworn to secrecy. He opened his backpack and looked at his "responsibility." It was a large one-not in size, but in terms of the meaning behind it. The small transponder meant a lot. It was how he was connected to the large machines called Transformers. The Autobots, in particular. The group he was affiliated with called themselves the Scavengers. Scavenger because it's what they were-outsiders trying to find scraps of meat to eat. He and the others were typical teenagers. And the outcasts of all the schools and neighborhoods they lived in. Some had families, but most were orphans, only-child types, with nothing to lose.

He, unfortunately, did have something to lose. His father was a policeman, and if he ever found out about his son's newfound duty, he'd confiscate the device, and throw his own son into jail until he gave up all the others.

_Not like he'd care, not really. Only reason he'd take an interest is because it would interfere with his chances to get a promotion_, Matt thought.

A senior in high school, Matt had sandy brown hair, gray eyes, and was also slightly built. Not enough to be noticed-on the football team, he was always being knocked down-but enough to hold his own.

The transponder activated and started beeping suddenly.

"Shit!" Matt cursed, hitting his brakes and digging it out of his backpack. He pulled it out and looked at the screen. A small green dot flashed repeatedly on the upper right side of the screen.

_Wonder who it is. It can't be Pete, he's out of town. Oh, well. Can't check it out lookin' like this._

He rode his bike to the nearest multi-level parking lot. Then he rode into it as if cops were after him. The average human wouldn't think much of a teenager going into a parking lot. But an observant one might have noticed the fact that an eighteen wheel tanker exiting the structure with that same teenager behind the wheel looked rather odd, to say the least. The black Ford truck pulled out, turning right and heading towards the signal. Smoke billowed out the pipes and the horn blared loudly, trying to get out of the rapidly growing busy street. Suddenly, sirens went off behind him, and a red fire ambulance blew past him-it-and turned right on the next turn.

Inside the truck, a computer panel activated.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

Inside the Ford, gears shifted and technological-and alien-hardware activated and the truck shifted gears and sped up, now doing fifty in a thirty-five mile area. It followed the ambulance, honking its horn every few seconds.

Up ahead, two cars sped through traffic, disregarding road signs left and right.

_Manterror and Downshift. What are those two doing here? Nothing good, that's for sure,_ Matt thought.

But he wasn't Matt anymore. He was Scourge, the leader of his ragtag group. He didn't know why the transponder activated that day when he found it, why the so-called "spark" of Scourge chose him, but he accepted it.

There were loads of conspiracy theories on this subject. Hundreds of people worldwide believed their world had been infiltrated by a group of beings-the Transformers. Matt hadn't believed it at first, thinking it was a bunch of kids who watched way too many cartoons. But they were real. Somewhat. Because the shows never had humans _becoming_ the giant automatons. And if humans _had _to merge with the sparks-

_Who would be insane enough to join the frickin Preds and Decetps? Wait-think like a human for this one, Matt. Oh. Typical._

The truck turned, following the Lamborghini Countach as well as the Chevrolet Camaro. And judging by their increased speed, they'd noticed him. He could easily catch up-good thing. These things were capable of going in excess of 400 mph.

But he couldn't. Secrecy was key. But the minor reasons were the more important ones at the moment. This was a city, filled with innocent bystanders and loads of cars. And of course, there were the cops.

'_Red Alert, follow them. I'll contact the others.'_

The message was broadcast using an intricate system of Cybertronian nanotechnology and network links. It wasn't speech, but it wasn't text messaging either. He hadn't been able to figure out all the perks of the job yet. But he _had_ noticed that he could zoom in on objects far away. _Very _far away. And he'd already used it to check out some really hot girls at his school.

Ahead of him, Red Alert-Josh-followed the two Decepticons, while Scourge turned left, heading into a tunnel. He didn't know why Prowl hadn't rendezvoused with them yet. His cousin would have been a big help here. City driving was always his specialty.

Scourge activated his lights, the night finally becoming a bit of a liability. He didn't need the lights. Technically, his vision, in this mode, was pretty much like night vision. But he couldn't afford to break his cover.

Yes, a truck going full speed through busy city intersections was a very big gamble. But not as much as people noticing that same truck navigating the roads perfectly in pitch-black darkness. Even with the lights of suburbia helping him out.

Manterror and Downshift suddenly tore into a construction zone, slamming into everything they could to shake their pursuers. Scourge followed, sending a message to all his allies in the immediate area.

_Manterror and Downshift have entered a construction zone. Watch yourselves. These two are crafty._

He remembered how they'd busted up Wheeljack-Tim-before. They'd driven him into a trap, his BMW conversion unsuitable for the tight quarters of the parking garage. They'd slowly worn him down, then slammed his body into near scrap metal. If Tim's spark had died out any earlier, he would've returned to human form and gotten himself turned into road kill. Because that was what they were up against.

Sick kids who thought they stumbled onto the greatest possibility of fame and fortune. They thought if they played the bad guys, they could actually get a piece of property when the "war" ended. They didn't know the truth.

And, frankly, Scourge was glad of that.

Manterror suddenly slammed right into an empty tractor, forcing it to collide with the large rig.

_Shit!_

If Matt had a mouth at that moment, he would have gritted his teeth and then screamed his head off. But since he didn't have one, he settled for pushing the heavy machinery right back at its sender.

_Heads up, bonehead!_

The Lamborghini tried to back to up, but it wasn't fast enough. The tractor rolled over it, smashing it pretty well. Windows shattered and the car's body screamed in protest and as the decepticon tried to transform.

And them it did the only thing it could do. It reverted back to human form. The tractor slammed on the ground as the vehicle beneath it disappeared. In its place was a badly bruised and slightly bleeding kid, around eighteen, from the looks of it. He ran as fast as he could, Scourge trying to get past the badly mauled sports car.

The kid ran faster and looked behind and he turned into a warehouse and then-

_WHAM!_

A car door slammed into his face, dropping him to the ground instantly. Scourge rolled in, and noticed the Ford Explorer.

_Thanks for the assist, X Brawn._

_Aw, shoot, pardner. I was in the area, and I reckoned you could use some help_, X Brawn replied.

_Well, the gesture's appreciated._

X Brawn was, in fact, Jimmy. Jimmy was born in Houston, Texas, and was also their strategist and comic relief.

Scourge then concentrated, and slowly, his optical sensors changed. His field of vision grew smaller as he returned to human form. Matt now stood where the large truck had been, and he looked really pissed off. X Brawn could tell.

When Matt's gray eyes turned into a solid silver color, his anger levels were off the charts. He walked straight for the former Manterror, seemingly oblivious to the existence of the others.

"I-was just doing my j-job," the bruised teenager said.

Matt just grabbed him and punched him right in his face.

"No, you were just trying to get some glory the easy way. By betraying your own people," Matt replied, voice dripping with venom. Then he grabbed the unconscious boy's transponder and broke it with his shoe.

"Let's see how useful you are to them now," he said, walking back to X Brawn and getting behind the wheel. X Brawn backed out of the construction, now on the lookout for Downshift.

Red Alert was hot on Downshift's trail, and he could tell the decepticon was getting nervous. The '69 Camaro was recklessly weaving through traffic, including oncoming. If he kept it up, local police would become involved, which would make his job a lot harder.

The ambulance blared it sirens as loudly as possible, hoping that the cars on the road would try to make room. Of course, Downshift could still ram them just for kicks, but he had to hope.

Soon after, the two were tearing up empty street roads, which Red Alert was thankful for. And since they were on the outskirts of town, he didn't have to worry about playing it safe.

_Uh, guys, a little help here?_

He didn't know if the others were close, but he knew they'd get the message. Their communications gear was good for a good thousand miles.

_Help like this?_

Red Alert heard the truck horn, and then, at the next intersection, Scourge came from the left and slammed into the side of Camaro, launching the car into the air. Scourge transformed in midair, the front of the truck splitting open, revealing the face of a legendary Autobot who had been destroyed a while back. Optimus Prime's face, only black. The back of the truck split in half, the wheels pulling up into a ninety degree angle, forming the "feet." The midsection of the Ford stretched out and arms reached out, grabbing the mangled Chevrolet.

Scourge slammed it straight down into the concrete, crushing it and his opponent in one fell swoop. The car bucked and the engine sizzled as Downshift's online systems malfunctioned.

"I expected better, Downshift," Scourge said. His voice was more demonic that Prime's, probably because of the fact he had Megatron's spark as his system core.

"Give my regards to Magmatron. This one's for Prowl."

He'd received word of Prowl's destruction while chasing Downshift. The news of his cousin's death didn't sit well with him.

Scourge's shoulder panels opened, revealing cluster rockets. Downshift tried to drive away, but it was a pathetic sight. The junker cluttered at a mere 15 miles an hour.

Scourge fired all his rockets. Downshift exploded, sending bits of cybertronian armor and rubber flying in every direction. Scourge's metallic face glowed from the blazing inferno. Then he turned to Red Alert and uttered one phrase.

"Roll out."

A few seconds later, an ambulance and a semi drove away, police sirens going off somewhere behind them.


	3. Chapter 3

Texas

Underground facility-specific location classified

Two men stood in front of a council of fifty others, patiently waiting. Their superiors all watched, the low lighting keeping their faces hidden, while a single lamp illuminated their employees.

"And now on to these…disturbances," one of the members, known only as 12, said.

"Yes," 13 said. "We must find out the names of these so-called 'scavengers' and bring them in. Forcefully, if need be."

27 thought differently. "If we could persuade them to join us, perhaps-"

"Hah!" That was 35. "What for? These are kids, madam. Children. Adults, I could understand. But children are idealistic. They believe that things such as fairness, justice, and equality exist. But every day, those beliefs are pushed down."

"With all due respect, I believe 27 is correct," the first man said.

The room quieted.

"Colonel, explain."

"Yes, sir. The leader, Scourge, from what intel has gathered, has shown both physically and verbally what his view on this fight is. He is a realist, not idealist. He destroyed a decepticon warrior in the daytime, violating numerous traffic laws. This boy could help us. Unfortunately, his father is in law enforcement, which puts him in a difficult position," the Colonel said.

His partner spoke up.

"Perhaps if we evaluated their strength in person, a simple chase, we could learn if these individuals could be of help. If not, we either erase them or simply take the technology," he explained.

"Very well. Agents Sideburn, Blackout, you have the go ahead. But remember-you are not to be seen. We can't risk exposure yet," 29 cautioned.

"Understood."

Both agents said this as one, and left.

3 Days later

Thundercracker and Thrust, each in their respective forms, cruised around, doing nothing but break the speed limit severely. Thundercracker was in his Pontiac TransAm conversion, while Thrust used his Shelby GT 500 form. The two enjoyed the looks of pure terror on the humans' faces as they tore through the streets.

_Hey, Thrust, I think we've got company._

Two other cars, a red Lamborghini Diablo, and a Dodge Dakota, had picked them up. And they were gaining.

_Ha! They can't keep up! _Thrust replied, immediately turning into an alley. Thundercracker blew past him, tires squealing as he turned at the next intersection. The Lamborghini followed Thrust, while the Dakota casually turned, as if it was driven by an average family.

But they were underestimating their pursuers. Thundercracker accelerated, the Dodge growing smaller in his rearview mirror until not even the scanners showed. Then the emergency brake activated, and Thundercracker pulled a 180. He revved his engine three times, and then he rocketed towards the tiny speck in front of him.

_Come on, autobot! I can't wait to crush you!_

The SUV simply grew larger, and then-

Thundercracker hit the brakes and turned slightly, the Dakota slamming into his side. It tried to regain control, then it fell sideways, skidding across the road, and hit the side of a store.

_Ha! Not even a decent attempt, _Thundercracker gloated. He didn't notice the short, blinding flash that occurred before the Dodge exploded. Nor did he notice the silver Nissan Murano that decided to follow him, until it was almost too late.

_Now I can go and help-what? No, it's-it's impossible. I just trashed you, you autobot piece of-_

WHAM!

The Murano hit him from behind savagely, nearly causing him to swerve into the other lane.

_So that's how you wanna play, eh? Fine by-_

The Murano struck him again, shearing off the bumper, and actually lifting the Explorer's back end into the air for a second. Thundercracker righted himself, and the Nissan hit him again, this time forcing it off the road.

Thundercracker hit his brakes, trying to find his new opponent.

"Hey."

Thundercracker transformed just in time to be grabbed by two massive arms. He stared into the single red visor that met him. The autobot raised his left arm, a compartment opening in his forearm. The barrels of a twin plasma cannon stared at Thundercracker's faceplate. In a last attempt, he pleaded.

"Please, don't kill me. It was just a bit of fun."

"Fun? Sure. And I tapped you from behind because you have a cute bumper sticker," the machine replied in a metallic voice. Then he charged the weapon. There was a slight whining sound, almost as if a jet engine had activated. The barrel seemed to glow blue, and Blackout, the captor of Thundercracker, discharged it.

The beam tore through Thundercracker, neatly shearing off the head. The body twitched and fell, as a massive energy surge overloaded its remaining systems. Blackout aimed at it, and charged one more time. His online sensors screamed in protest as he redlined. If he didn't release soon, he'd fry himself. He waited three seconds, then fired.

Thundercracker exploded, sending shards of both machine and Ford motor vehicle property all over the area. Blackout flexed his arm, the particle weapon sliding back into his arm, and a panel closed over it. Then he slowly reverted back to vehicle form, and drove away as if nothing had occurred.

Thrust had lost his follower. The autobot had given up the chase, realizing his Lamborghini Diablo conversion wasn't enough. Now, he was picking up the slack, his new yellow Dodge Viper GTS-R alternate form gaining. The racecar was pushing a good 200 miles an hour in a 35 mile an hour zone.

Thrust was disappointed, outraged, and impressed all at once. The GT 500's engine roared as he tried to widen the distance. But the Viper annoyingly kept up. And just when Thrust was about to make a turn, a school bus filled with children going home passed the lane. Thrust's computer systems fritzed as the Viper slammed into his left side, denting the frame.

_What?! Oh, blast you!_

The Viper slowed down, barely avoiding a collision with two of the children.

_Ha! Having fun back there? _Thrust sent.

Sideburn's reply was simple. He revved the engine and came up alongside Thrust's left side. Then he slammed himself into the Shelby. And then he simply stopped. Thrust slowed down, wondering if this was some kind of trick. Then Sideburn's headlight popped open, revealing four rockets.

_No…_

The rockets fired, flying straight towards Thrust. They connected, sending the decepticon into the air. A few seconds later, the viper drove up next to a _mostly _destroyed chassis. The car's front end seemed to split into three. The headlight portion pushed itself out, while the hood popped down. The back end split in half up to the roof. Sideburn's head came out, small and round, with two circular orbs as visual sensors, and a single vertical slit for a "mouth." He wasn't the most fearsome machine to behold.

But he was still a fast tracker.

"What'd you expect? You old muscle cars are all the same. All looks, no horsepower. Besides, my employer thinks you're a major thorn in his side. No biggie."

He fired the remaining rockets. Thrust was engulfed in flame, a light flashing inside. Then the body of a young man materialized a few feet away. Sideburn reverted back into a human. He wasn't old, only 37. He had brown hair and gray eyes.

"The Colonel requests your presence, son. And I'll be taking you to him. One way or the other," he said, picking the unconscious boy up. Blackout drove up, the other captive in the back, who was also out cold.

After the man put him in the backseat, Blackout's holographic driver looked at him.

"So where to?" The "woman" cheerfully asked.

"Back to base. And please switch back to the fat guy. I can't handle it when you're pretending to be my ex-wife," he replied, getting in. The car drove off, the passenger in the front falling asleep.

After a few minutes, Blackout noticed that Scourge himself was popping up on the sensors.

"Hey, we have company."

Sideburn looked behind him, and smiled.

"Let's see how fast he is," he replied.

With that, Blackout sped up and turned into an alley. Sideburn looked back and watched as the massive truck attempted to follow. It stooped and pulled out.

"Think we lost him?"

"Check your left."

Sideburn looked and saw a Ford Explorer heading for them.

"Huh. Kid's got some friends," he commented.

The Explorer rammed the vehicle hard enough to force it into a spin. It spun out and stopped. Their follower just stopped in front and transformed. Behind them, the black truck stopped and did the same. Needless to say, the two agents knew they were done with if they tried anything. Blackout reverted back to human form. They stood together, slightly intimidated by the two massive machines. And that's when one of them noticed something.

"Optimus Prime?" Blackout asked.

Scourge looked at X Brawn and shook his head.

"No, sorry to disappoint."

"We know you're just a kid. We'd like to talk to you," Sideburn said.

Scourge's visual scanners whirred, and he knelt down, bringing his face close to the ground.

"And why would I like to talk to you?" He asked menacingly.

"You can't keep this up forever. We know who you are. Matt."

Scourge backed up, shaken.

_Damn it. Now I have no choice._

Scourge hit a button on his wrist and a white light engulfed and started shrinking.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Blackout said. "A kid?"

Matt glared at him.

"Somebody's gotta do what the government refuses to," he said coldly.

"Hey, easy, son," Sideburn said. "We work for the government."

"So? You're here, trying to stop me, when you should be trying to stop Magmatron."

That name definitely hit a bell.

"Magmatron? What's he got to do with this?"

"I don't know. I lost one of my guys a little while ago. His last transmission was a conversation between himself and Blitzwing. He was killed before learning anything else. If you guys are here to bring me in, too bad. If you're here to recruit me, there's some conditions."

The two operatives looked at each other. They were planning to bring them in, but to interrogate them. But now that they thought about it, having these kids on their team might help them.

"We'll have to contact our superiors, but I don't think they'll be a problem. Contact your friends. All of them," Sideburn said.

"All right. But since you know my name, it's only fair I know yours," Matt said.

"All right. I'm Jack. He's Thomas," Blackout said.

"Okay."

Matt turned around and looked at X Brawn.

"Call them in. Everyone."

X Brawn slowly backed out and drove away. Matt faced them.

"So? Where to?"


	4. Chapter 4

I DO NOT OWN THE TRANSFORMERS

The drive to Texas was long and rather boring. Matt and his friends sat in the cars next to the agents. The black GMCs were going pretty fast. Matt wasn't sure why they didn't just let them transform and follow, but he figured it was because they didn't fully trust him. Yet.

"So…just so I can get a picture. When exactly did you get the transponder?" Thomas asked, turning around from the passenger seat. Matt looked at him and for a second, considered bullshitting. But he decided against it.

"A few months ago. No more than 3," he started. "I didn't know what it was, it just activated on its own. Next thing I know, I'm this huge, black machine."

"So, how'd you get the name 'Scourge'?" Thomas asked.

"Umm…How do I explain it?" He muttered. "The name came with the memories."

"Memories?" That was an interesting tidbit.

"Yeah. They just…came. Really fast, sometimes. Memories of another planet. Really advanced. Maybe it was their planet. I don't know."

"Hmmm," Thomas murmured. "And your friends? How'd they get theirs?"

"Dunno. Ironically, we all got ours the same day. We weren't even together when it happened."

"Strange. Your parents know about this?" Thomas asked.

"Hell, no," Matt smirked. "My dad's a cop. And really frickin' strict. If he knew I had it, he'd have taken it from me."

"He'd turn in his own son?"

"If the situation warranted it, yeah," Matt said, disgusted. "To him, that badge means more than anything."

The vehicles finally arrived at their destination. By now, the sun had set, and Matt caught sight of a fence, and a warning posted on it.

GOVERNMENT PROPERTY

OFF LIMITS

TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED

"Not exactly subtle," Matt said.

"It gets the message out clearly," Thomas answered. "And so far, nobody's tried it."

"By the way, how many of you are there? Is this just the US, or do other countries know about this little war?" Matt asked, curiosity leaking out.

"Other countries do know about the conflict, but not many, and they all have their own agents. They've also signed a silence clause."

"Makes sense, I guess," Matt said, looking at the compound. It was massive, practically the batcave of the 21st century. Or maybe that massive hangar from Independence Day. "By the way, do you know how we can actually become these things?"

"Not conclusively. Best theory we've got-our bodies turn into pure energy and are pretty much zapped into these things bodies at damn near the speed of light."

"Zapped? That a technical term?" Matt asked.

"You got a better way to describe it?"

Matt shrugged and started walking around, until he noticed something.

"WHOA!" He yelled.

There were other robots, offline and stationary.

"Are those-"

"Yes, we have a few of them, but no operatives to use them. Yet."

Matt and his friends, who had finally gotten out of the vehicles, moved forward to inspect the offline machines. Matt kept walking, though, past the massive machines, until he noticed two he never thought he'd see again.

"Jazz? PROWL? HOW!?"

Sure enough, the two machines stood at the end of the row, silent. And different. The same general faces, but their bodies, and colors seemed different. Prowl originally was a purely red Supra. Nothing fancy. But this Prowl wasn't a Supra conversion. Matt could tell instantly, since he'd seen Prowl's original form countless times before he died.

"If you're wondering, it's a Pontiac Solstice," a voice said behind him.

Matt turned around slowly, thinking he was in a dream. But there he was. His friends. John. Prowl. And next to him was Tim, also known as Wheeljack. Matt had assumed the Decepticons kidnapped him, seeing as all they got was an anonymous message stating someone had a wounded Tim with them.

Tim had grey eyes, and brown, shoulder-length hair. He ended up being their mechanic, so to speak. Even with their limited knowledge on the technology they used, he'd still managed to do a pretty good job of repairing their alternate forms when they were damaged. It was why Matt kept him around.

John had a smug grin on his face, like he just won the lotto. The redhead's amber eyes shone with a brightness that Matt rarely saw. He looked at Thomas.

"So, we're all here? There a reason for all this?"

"Actually, yes. Come over here," Thomas motioned.

Matt followed, until they reached a large storage hold. Inside, suspended by wires, was a hexagonal shape, and its center, a blue crystal-like orb.

"From what've learned about these mechanical beings so far, that item there is known as the Matrix. Now, we don't know a lot about it, but it seems like whoever manages to unlock it and control it, gains an enormous amount of power," Thomas continued.

"What kind of power? For our transformations, we can make people do whatever we want, what?" Tim asked.

"We don't know. We've tried opening the darn thing. Even our agents, in their conversions. Damn thing won't budge."

Matt wasn't even listening. He just stared at the brilliant device. He felt as if his whole life, their fight, was just a precursor. As if it was meant to lead him, now, to this spot. And when a guy who doesn't believe in fate starts to think that he's not in control of his own life, it usually means something.

Without thinking, Matt converted to his mechanical form. He watched as everything seemed to lower itself, the people around him shrinking. His gray cyborg hands reached out to the device.

"Scourge! What the hell are you doing?!" Thomas yelled at him, soldiers now surrounding him. His friends froze in their place, worried for their friend, but also worried for themselves.

Scourge didn't even acknowledge the voice. He was listening to the other one.

_Welcome, Scourge. You are not the first to carry me, nor will you be the last._

_Who ARE you? How do you know me?_

_I know everything about you. About your friends, your father, your past, even your future._

_My future?_

_Yes. You fight like a cold hearted beast, though you have a kind heart. You are the next. The one who will determine the outcome of this fight._

_ME??_

_Yes. No longer are you Matthew O'Connor. No longer are you simply Scourge, leader of the Scavengers. You are now Prime. All the knowledge I hold, you can use. My wisdom, yours to learn. Arise…_

"IMPERIOUS PRIME!"

Scourge's voice pierced the complex, nearly deafening everyone in the room. Thomas looked up at Scourge, noticing that he wasn't the same Scourge now. He was larger, wider…meaner, in a way.

"Kid, what the hell did you do?!"

Scourge…no, Imperious Prime, looked down at the tiny man.

"_I_ didn't do anything. It looks like the device is actually alive. Or something," he muttered.

"Well, whatever, take it out now!"

Imperious Prime's visual scanners buzzed and zoomed in, and their color dimmed, as if he was squinting.

"No. It said I'm the next one. Apparently, Prime is some kind of rank. Pretty high one, too, the way I figure it."

"Exactly why I need you to-what?"

A soldier had rushed in and whispered something to Thomas. Matt used his new body's capabilities to listen in by increasing his audio sensitivity

"We have contacts tearing through the city. Quite a few of them. What should we do?"

"I think we should-" Thomas was cut off.

"Head out now, take them out."

Thomas glared at the newly modified Scourge.

"Kid, this is top secret. I'm not letting you rampage through the city."

"That's not stopping these guys from trying," Prime responded.

"Fine. We'll probably be called in sooner or later, so might as well leave now. Kid, lead your boys out."

"You're trusting me with this?" Imperious sounded surprised.

"Isn't that what you wanted? Now hurry up before I change my mind."

"Copy."

The black hulk faced his subordinates.

"You heard the man. Roll out!"

Three minutes later, an oversized tanker, a Pontiac Solstice, a blue and white BMW M3, a Ford Explorer, a red and white Chevy ambulance, a blood red Lamborghini Diablo, and a silver Dodge Dakota tore through the entrance gate, heading for the city.

"Agent Grimlock."

A man dressed in a business suit looked at the corporal.

"You're ordered to back them up. Now."

The man nodded and headed for the exit.

Shortly afterwards, a massive RV, specifically an exact replica of the one used in the old movie _Tango & Cash _drove out onto the road. The black and yellow vehicle's engine roared. A gray tyrannosaurus, jaw open, was painted on both sides.

_I hope you know what you're doing kid. Because from here on in…it's life and death._

Author's Note

Sorry for the wait. It was a little tough trying to find a sense of direction for the story. I hope this is good enough. And there is a reason for Grimlock's form. I'll explain it soon. In the meantime, please let me know what you think of this chapter.-Hellshadow.


	5. Chapter 5

_Ah, the beauties of a freeway, _Prowl thought. His new conversion was proving to be very useful indeed. He was going a steady 90 miles per hour on the freeway, his holographic form grinning his head off. The holograms were designed to create the illusion that there was a driver using the vehicle, but the driver's features were determined by the shifter's own emotions. Which explained why Matt's holographic form was frowning.

"Prowl, you do realize if the cops pull you over, we won't be able to get you out of trouble," the hologram said into the illusionary walkie. The sports car answered by driving in between lanes…and trucks.

_If that idiot doesn't stop soon, he'll cause an accident…or worse, tip off the decepticons! _ Prime thought.

Unfortunately, the decepticons were already in the area. And they knew that the tiny Solstice was more than met the eye.

Two military planes had taken a keen interest in the tiny vehicle. The F-16 and F-18 fighters changed their trajectories and headed for the highway.

_Starscream, I think we have company._

_I think you're right, Thundercracker. Let's have some fun._

The two decepticons bore down on the autobot group, firing rockets and lasers at them.

Below, Imperious and his friends wildly dodged the incoming fire. Red Alert turned away from the concrete railing just as a rocket struck it. Rock and shrapnel rained down on him, causing dents and scratches.

_DAMN!_

The Scavenger drove back onto the road, but now dragged, due to one of his tires going flat.

A St. Charles city ambulance 9497 spotting red and white colors suddenly drove down an entry ramp and stopped right next to the damaged fire emergency vehicle.

_Ratchet, bout time you got here, _Scourge sent.

_What can I say? When there's an accident, who you gonna call?_

The medical truck shifted and the back popped open, revealing two fully functional arms. The front of the truck slid down as the car rose up vertically, revealing the legs. A somewhat hexagonal face appeared, with two yellow orbs as eyes, and a rectangular mouthpiece directly beneath it.

Ratchet, medical officer of the Scavengers, checked the wounds of his comrade.

_Yeesh. They really did a number on him. I can't do anything here._

_Can you get him out? _Imperious had to know.

_Won't be easy. People are starting to get out of their cars._

_Do it. I'll send Prowl to back you up._

Prowl heard the order, and immediately hit his breaks, pulling a perfect 180 while maintaining a straight line. His tires screamed as he doubled back toward his friend. Ahead, Imperious noticed Starscream heading right for him, no more than 12 feet off the ground.

_If that's the way you want it, fine. Your loss, decepticon._

The truck sounded it horn, warning his teammates behind him. They wisely slowed down, and prepared to back their friend and commander up. Even Sideburn and Blackout retreated, knowing they had no chance against the jet. Not in vehicle form, anyway.

Prime sped up, now exceeding 140 miles an hour. Nowhere near enough to stop the twice as fast jetfighter. Imperious transformed, his arms reaching out while he bent his back, sliding on the concrete with his legs. The move tore the road, the sounds of crushing asphalt blocking out all his other audio sensors.

He grabbed Starscream by the front of the wings, getting himself pulled into the air by a good 40,000 pounds of military muscle. Imperious was really glad his conversion was maxed out at 80,000 pounds. Just at legal limit. Which meant he outweighed the decepticon. Bad news. The jet fighter had been coming in at almost 290 miles.

Starscream attempted to transform. His form shifted and began to transform. Imperious grunted and slammed the jet into the ground, wrecking its underbelly.

_THAT HURT, YOU SCUM!!_

"Did it? GOOD!"

With that, Imperious picked the heavily damaged decepticon up, and slammed him down again.

"Company," Sideburn commented.

Prime turned around and approached the Chevrolet K-2500 truck, which seemed to be an exact replica of the custom model used in _Tango & Cash_. The black and yellow vehicle revved its engine, then unraveled itself. The front end split in half, and bent, so that one side was facing the right at a 45 degree angle, and the other at a counterclockwise 45 degree angle. A massive head popped up, with no mouth of any kind-just a red visor. Huge arms and legs appeared, and the brute stood tall, slightly shorter than Imperious. Imperious couldn't help but notice the snarling T-rex embedded on his shoulder panels.

"Who are you?" He asked.

The agent pointed a finger at his chest.

"Me Grimlock! What?"

Sideburn snickered at the bot's obvious surprise at his own voice.

"Little bot find situation funny?" The titan rumbled, taking a step toward him.

"Easy," Imperious warned. "You two know this guy?"

Sideburn stopped laughing silently and nodded.

"Like he said, name's Grimlock. We've tried to modify the conversion's speech modulators, but it's an even more ancient model than the one you're sporting. Could be irreversible," he commented.

"That no stop me from doing my duty! Who he?"

Grimlock pointed at the unconscious Starscream.

"An enemy. We're taking him back to the base," Sideburn stated.

Grimlock took a step forward, pulling a massive blade from behind his back.

"Better to destroy decepticon now, no problem later," he rumbled. "Voice annoying as hell."

"Listen, I'm in command here," Prime said, standing between the two. "And I say we take him back. Now let's-"

Before he could finish, a very unusual jet flew in, peppering the ground with weapons fire. Prime and Grimlock groaned as a rocket exploded in front of them, nearly reducing them to ashes. Nearly.

Grimlock's scanners locked onto the new anomaly. The jet came in for a landing, transforming along the way. A purple and gold machine now stood in front of them, face twisted in an evil sneer. Imperious noted the decepticon insignia.

"So…we finally meet," the newcomer began. "Imperious Prime."

Imperious stepped forward.

"Who are you, and how do you know me?"

"Well, it's only natural a general knows his sworn enemy," the machine replied. "You may call me Magmatron."

Starscream tried to get up, only to have Grimlock slam his foot into his face.

"Puny jet stay down!"

Magmatron laughed.

"Keep him! I've no use for soldiers who fail their missions! My current minions are more than enough! Rumble!"

A green and yellow decepticon appeared from behind them, firing a volley of machine gun fire and plasma projectiles at them. Grimlock pushed Starscream away, and blocked bullets with his blade.

"You handle loudmouth decepticon! Me handle trigger happy decepti-head!"

With that, Grimlock rushed forward. Magmatron rushed Prime, aiming a canon at his head.

"Sideburn, you and the others get the decepticon to the base."

"But-"

"NOW!!" Prime yelled, dodging the energy blast.

Grimlock tangled with his enemy.

"Not bad…for a fossil!" Rumble said, trying to trip the brute standing in his way.

"Me no fossil! You just too dumb to know!"

With that, Grimlock headbutted the opponent. The decepticon screeched as his rectangular head overloaded from pain. Grimlock punched the bot, and pushed it away. He rushed towards Sideburn, noticing that the small car was having trouble loading the bulky Starscream onto himself.

"Here! Me not agree with plan, but me have orders!"

He reverted back to the RV, and Ratchet loaded Starscream onto him. He fired a tow cable and wrapped it around Grimlock, securing the cargo, so to speak.

"Go!"

Grimlock sped off, tires protesting.

Ratchet turned back just in time to see Rumble crash next him. The machine's face turned towards him, and it unleashed an inhuman scream that sounded like metal tearing apart.

"Yeek!" Ratchet yelled. "You seriously need some anger management courses!"

With that, Ratchet's hand transformed into a ion cannon, and he zapped the brute right in his face. The ion cannon was just a more powerful form of EMP. Ratchet watched as Rumble started shaking, his eyes blinking on and off.

"How do you like that, huh?" He asked, now leaning against the effectively stunned decepticon.

Magmatron had managed to drop Imperious to the ground, and was now punching him in his faceplate repeatedly. Prime's forearm opened, revealing three gun barrels. He punched Magmatron in the gut, and fired.

The machine screamed and got off, clutching his now melted armor. Prime tried to get up, to press his advantage. Too late.

"Till we meet again, Imperious Prime!" He screamed, transforming. He instantly took to the air. Ratchet watched.

"Yeah! Not bad for a mediuh-huh?!"

Rumble managed to get up, and batted the white autobot aside. It transformed and rumbled away as quickly as it could, spewing smoke from his rear.

"Why, you-!"

"Let him go. We've caused enough damage as it is. Back to base, all of you!" Prime commanded.

With that, the group entered their vehicle modes, and sped back to home base as fast as possible. The damage was huge, and they couldn't afford to be caught.

_But next time, I'll be ready. Just wait…Magmatron._

Author's note

Well, that was done faster than I expected. Hope you enjoyed it. Grimlock's form will be fully dealt with next chapter, I promise. Hellshadow.


	6. Chapter 6

"So, the new Prime is no slouch. He knows how to fight," Magmatron remarked, pacing back and forth in his base. It was an abandoned US training camp, which made it the perfect place for his troops and their conversions. He looked down at the human patiently waiting.

"Nightscream, how are we coming along?"

The young man opened the folder he had in his hands.

"Pretty well, I'd say. Our constructicons are coming along nicely. Bonecrusher will take the longest, seeing as how Prime and his friends blew his face up. Jack is in the medical wing now. The Doctor's fixing him up."

That statement made Magmatron smile. The Doctor. Their personal Frankenstein.

"Excellent."

"Umm, Jason, maybe we should-"

Magmatron glared down at him.

"What did you call me?"

The young man fidgeted and backed up.

"Look, we're in over our heads here. I mean, they've got government agents with them now. Should we be worried?"

Magmatron started glowing, then shrank, his metallic body replaced with flesh, bone, and clothes. Jason pocketed the transponder he held and punched Nightscream-Keith-in the face.

"_Never _use that name when I'm in that form. Understand?" He snarled, gripping Keith's throat. Keith let out a wheeze and nodded. Jason pushed him down.

Keith crawled to his feet, and wiped the blood off his lips. He had blonde hair, and aqua blue eyes. He was a skinny kid, often picked on by the older children. But the reason Jason pulled him into this life was because inside, Keith was twisted and evil. He had bided his time, and planned a stunt that resulted in the bullies sent to juvenile.

"Now…how will we handle this debacle?" Keith asked, looking at the TV, which showed the carnage after the battle. Traffic and cops littered the freeway.

_With Starscream in their hands, our operation is in jeopardy. And it would be just like that treacherous leech to tell them everything just so he can hog the glory. And Matt…why do I get the feeling HE'S Imperious? He can't be, though. He just can't…_

Keith fell into a chair, his head now whirling. _Matt? MATT? What the hell… I can't…no, no…you can, and you will. There's no other choice. Yes, yes, that's the best way to proceed._

"Scrapper! Call the Constructicons out!"

_Matt…You're going to regret this, old friend. We used to be brothers. Now…now we're just enemies._

Grimlock was staring at the incapacitated Starscream. Starscream was currently in the belly of what was known as Area 11. The wide machine was held up by numerous wires. Automatic EM guns were pointed at him, in case he attempted to escape.

Matt walked up and leaned against the Dinobot's leg. Grimlock looked down as his scanners notified him of the contact.

"Hey! Me no cushion!" Grimlock rumbled. Matt leaped back, unaware he'd leaned against the big bot's leg.

"Sorry. What are we gonna do with him?" He asked, glancing at Starscream.

"Only two options," Thomas said from behind him, causing Matt to jump.

"We get him to join, or we kill him. Harsh, but by their rules, fair," Thomas continued.

Matt approached Starscream, who finally seemed to come back online. Immediately, the decepticon started writhing, clawing at the chains.

"Hold," Thomas said, and Matt noticed the hundreds of soldiers around them, armed with specialized rifles, though Matt couldn't tell what kind.

"Specialized EMP rifle. One of the few weapons we've got against these guys," he explained. Matt nodded, and filed the info away for later use.

"Starscream!" Matt yelled. The Decepticon looked at him, all the while wrenching with his chains.

"You've got two options here. You join us, and tell us what you know, or we kill you. That simple," Matt explained, stepping forward.

"Magmatron will kill all of you!" Starscream screeched.

"Magmatron? Oh, you must mean your boss! I don't know if you've noticed, but he left you on your own. Not really the kind of guy you wanna trust your life with, is he?" Matt said.

Starscream pulled at the chains, actually straining them. Matt worriedly looked at them, and Thomas immediately stepped in.

"FIRE!"

Six grapples fired simultaneously, and the moment they made contact with Starscream, the decepticon sparked and writhed as electrical currents threatened to deactivate him. Matt was about to say stop, but Thomas held his hand in front of him.

"We need to show him we mean business," he said dispassionately.

Matt glanced nervously at Starscream. Sure, he may have been cold hearted as Scourge, but was he this cruel?

"What if he joins us?"

Thomas whirled to face him.

"What?"

"Join us. You know," Matt nervously said, watching the light show.

Thomas motioned for the soldiers to stop firing.

"You're crazy," he said. "There's no way I'll let it happen."

Matt walked up to him and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"What choice do we have?! I've lost fourteen of my friends already to his war! And they weren't even soldiers! It was a school trip to the museum!" Matt yelled.

_That _was news to Thomas.

"What? When?"

Matt pushed him back and faced Starscream again. The tears were threatening to overwhelm him.

"Four years ago," he whispered. "Damn it, four years ago.."

_Just an average trip to the museum. That's all it was. Matt sat in the back with his friend Keith._

_"So…you ask her out yet?" Keith asked._

_Matt glared at him, while trying to ignore the heat he suddenly felt rushing over him._

_"Damn it, why do I ever tell you anything?" He asked, turning back to watch the trees fly by._

_"Oh, this is great! You haven't said anything to her at all, have you? So typical. We're out getting girls, and you just sit there and imagine the possibilities. Weak."_

_"No," Matt whispered. His eyes suddenly widened "Stop the bus!"_

_"Wha-"_

_Keith watched in bewilderment as Matt rushed to the front of the bus. Then he looked out and his eyes widened. A massive robotic leg slammed into the bus, nearly ripping it in two. Matt flew and hit the ceiling with his head._

_He woke up with a throbbing pain on the right side of head. He looked around, noticing Keith crawl out of a broken window. Matt pulled himself along, and tried to grab a seat to pull himself up. Instead, he grabbed someone's hand. The person fell on him, and he groaned as their heads collided._

_"Are you okay?" He asked weakly._

_The student didn't reply. He pushed the hair out of the way, and again, his eyes stared disbelievingly._

_Oh, no._

_"Samantha?" He asked hoarsely._

_Samantha Thomas. The girl every guy wanted to date. The girl he wished he had. Her blonde hair was a mess, her violet eyes staring blankly at him. He instinctively pulled her closer, not even registering the fact that someone had gripped his leg, and was now pulling him out._

_"Matt?"_

_Matt let Keith pull him up. Keith was pretty well off, with only a cut on his shoulder, and really dirty._

_"Your arm, buddy."_

_Matt looked down. His arm hung limply at his side, blood dripping from his hands._

_"Is she-"_

_"Dead," Matt said. His voice was hollow, emotionless._

_The two turned around as they heard metal clanging. They watched in amazement as a huge red machine grabbed hold of a gray one. Unfortunately, it was the smaller of the two. The gray one picked it up, and charged what appeared to be some kind of shoulder cannon._

_A blue ray struck the captive machine, and it fell to the ground, sparking._

_"I'll get them," Keith snarled. "I don't care who, or even what they are. I'll find a way. I'll destroy the damn things, so no one can ever do this again!"_

_Matt stared at his friend, and while a part of him understood his grief, another part was scared. Scared of how Keith sounded._

_The two watched as the combatants suddenly transformed and chased each other, racing off into the horizon._

"And that's when you found the transponders?" Thomas asked.

"No," Matt immediately said. "We found those later. But by that point, Keith was long gone. Now he's really Magmatron. I hoped it wasn't him, but it is. The two of us met again. We each were hoping the other would join us. And now we're here."

"So, you're…the boss's old friend," Starscream managed to say, right before another jolt made him shake.

"Yeah. And your option's still the same," Thomas said. He looked at Matt, noticing the look of relief over his face.

"So, what'll it be?"

Starscream stopped struggling, and eyed the multitude of cannons aimed at him. The decepticon stood rigid and he turned completely white. The men cocked their guns.

"Wait!" Matt yelled, surprising all of them.

The light started diminishing, and in the machine's place was a bruised up kid, barely fourteen. White hair, and hazel eyes. Matt rushed forward and caught him just before he dropped to the ground.

_I know I'm young, but THIS? This young?_

"Get a medic!" Thomas barked. The soldiers immediately scrambled.

"He's gonna need a new conversion," Matt muttered.

"And he'll get it. If he cooperates," Thomas warned.

"All right, now that we're here, we'll commence planning," Magmatron gloated. "With Starscream's capture, and Prime's interference, we must accelerate our plans. Soundwave, prepare the troops for battle!"

A tall, gray decepticon, with an orange visor, and a mouthpiece not unlike Prime's stepped forward. A cannon was attached to his left shoulder, his arms mostly bare, legs massive and well protected.

"As you command, Magmatron."

The voice was metallic and monotone, but deep.

"Topspin, Thrust, Whirl, Savage, move out."

An Otokar Cobra, an Arisgator, a self-unloading military vehicle, and a mobility artillery rocket system, or HIMARS, cab drove out, heading for the battlefield again.

"Hey, Grimlock, I've been meaning to ask you one thing," Imperious asked as they waited for the reformatted Starscream to appear.

"What that?" The big lug asked.

"How come you have that specific conversion?"

Grimlock looked at the massive locked doors in front of them.

"Original form was supposed to be tyrannosaur. But technology to replicate was nonexistent, so me settle for alternate form. Few more months, me become Grimlock, king of beasts!"

Grimlock threw his fist into the air proudly at that last part.

"I think you guys need a new hobby," Starscream's voice stated, as the doors opened, and the newly fixed Starscream stepped through.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Once again, faster than I expected. Hope you liked it. I spent most of the day doing this. Well, lemme know what you think. I'll do my best to keep writing. -Hellshadow


	7. Chapter 7

_Gotta go faster. Go, go, go._

A 1972 Corvette Stingray barreled its way down the street, trying to outrun the nightmare it knew was behind him. His sensors detected an explosion behind him, but he didn't bother checking. He knew what it was. On their own, they were bad. Together…

Nightbeat increased his speed, pushing himself at 170 miles.

_Thank God no one's around._

Further behind him, two vehicles of unknown origins, one purple, the other green and silver, turned and followed. They weren't as fast, but that only gave them an advantage. The first fired, five blasts heading directly for him. He turned away in time. A minivan sitting at a corner exploded in a brilliant display of fire and smoke.

_Damn!!_

Nightbeat hit his brakes, stopping right in front of a massive machine, with a single optical sensor, a massive turret for a left arm pointed at him.

"While your efforts are admirable, you must know you can't beat us," a deep, mechanical voice said.

"Yeah, yeah, heard it before!"

The Corvette reversed furiously, now going back the way it came. A stray bolt hit it, causing it go into a spinout.

"Argh, fine!!"

The Chevrolet stopped and transformed. The front tucked in, while the headlight section pushed out, and the back split open. Arms, legs, a circular head, with a visor and mouth. Nightbeat.

"What's up, Shockwave, Sixshot?"

"Surrender, and you may be spared," Shockwave said.

"While the offer's enticing…go to hell!"

With that, Nightbeat fired his dual blasters, peppering Shockwave with energy rays. He turned and fired at Sixshot, who took refuge behind a building.

"Ah, Nightbeat…"

Nightbeat whirled around just in time for Shockwave to grab his head and pick him up.

"I calculated the odds of a frontal assault from you, and modified my armor accordingly," Shockwave stated. "I was right. Courage, honor…they are of a flawed mind, a weak body. One such as I…lives only to win."

With that, Shockwave fired his arm cannon, and Nightbeat flew back, crushing a parked Buick entirely.

"Sixshot, destroy him."

"With pleasure."

Sixshot leaped into the air, his body already changing. His arms and legs snapped together, boosters engaged. Nightbeat stared at the massive six-barreled gun now aimed at him.

"Oh, no…"

Armor melted off his body, his autobot insignia on the ground, only half recognizable.

"UGH!"

Nightbeat fell back, trying to transform. Sixshot changed back and towered over him.

"Told you."

The two decepticons took aim, when a distant voice interrupted.

"Ladies, and gentlebots! Feast your eyes on the fastest, smoothest ride ever built!"

The machines looked back just in time to see a Pontiac TransAm with a flame design hit them. It transformed in midair, the front popping down. The sides swung out, and the back launched out.

"Oh, yeah!"

They faced the new threat, which had a smirk on its face.

"Hot Rod is in the house!"

Matt sat in his house, staring at the screen. He'd gotten a way to keep in touch with Sideburn and the others through, of all things, instant messaging.

_KingScourge84: Anything new?_

_Roadbuster: How many times do I have to say it? Nothing._

Matt blew out a frustrated sigh.

_SkyLordSupreme: I think I have something._

_KingScourge84: What?_

_SkyLordSupreme: Got word there's a fight brewing downtown._

_Roadbuster: Nothing on the news._

_SkyLordSupreme: Think they'd have this? Two dec's following a sweet Corvette Stingray._

_KingScourge84: Meh. Could be nothing._

_Roadbuster: Just got a hit. Hacked into the system. Definitely them. Move._

_KingScourge84: On m_

"What are you doing?"

Matt shut off his monitor and turned around. His father stood in the doorway.

_Oh, crap._

"Talking to some friends, why?" Matt asked, hoping he sounded pissed off.

"Don't give me that tone," the big man growled. He was bald, with the same cold eyes Matt had at times. But while Matt only had them at certain moments, his father never lost them.

"Talking to your delinquent friends?"

His father had never liked any of Matt's friends. He only tolerated them because his mother made him. If he could have, he'd have locked them up on the grounds that they _looked_ like gang members.

"They're not-"

"Sure. You get into any trouble, I won't help you."

With that, the man left.

_Some father you are._

Matt turned back to the screen.

_KingScourge84: On my way, fellas._

Matt turned his computer, and ran downstairs. He bolted out the door before his dad could start yelling. His father ran outside when he heard tires squeal. He looked outside, only to see a bunch of cars on the road, drivers yelling at each other.

"What happened?!" He yelled.

One of the drivers looked at him.

"Some idiot driving a tanker truck almost rammed us!"

Imperious pushed his conversion to the limit.

_Hope dad crapped his pants after seeing that._

He homed in on the location he received from Roadbuster, one of their contacts. He turned into an alley, and then…

_Damn!!_

Prime hit his breaks, and his visual sensors zoomed in. A red and yellow bot was firing at two others, one silver and green, the other a deep purple. He looked to his right, noticing another one, wounded. The single eyed machine took aim, and Prime acted. He rushed in, and pushed the small would-be target aside.

"Another one! Perfect!!" The silver one yelled.

"Take him! I will finish the other two."

"Not likely!" Hot Rod yelled, firing his wrist mounted lasers. They struck Shockwave directly in the head. The massive bot fell back, immobilized. Imperious brought his arms up, and activated his newest feature. Two red-hot blades popped out of a slot in his forearms, and he swung, creating two slash marks on Sixshot's chest.

"Ugh!"

"Think that's bad?" Imperious asked, then slammed into him. The decepticon fell on top of Shockwave.

"You!" Prime said, pointing at Hot Rod.

"Grab your buddy and follow me."

With that, Imperious transformed back.

"What!? I can't transport him on my own!"

"Then put him inside the trailer," a new voice said.

Prime was ready to attack, seeing as how his sensors hadn't warned, but a massive hand stopped him.

"Easy. Ultra Magnus. I've got a transport attachment. He'll fit. You'll get debriefed later. Now move."

The white bot looked just like Imperious, but he wasn't the same conversion. He was a transport truck. To be specific, he was a tri-drive Mack Superliner Heavy recovery vehicle. Imperious and Hot Rod carefully pushed the damaged Nightbeat into the back.

"Let's go."

The three new acquaintances retreated with their fallen comrade, hoping his fall hadn't already become permanent.


End file.
